warning AUDI A6 2012 Owners Manual

252 Tire s and wheel s
Where snow chains are mandatory oncer­
tain roads, this normally also applies to ve­
hicles with all-wheel drive.
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of whee l bolts is matched to the
factory insta lled rims . If different rims are fit­
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the r ight
length and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bolts from a different vehicle -even if it
is the same model
r=> page 280.
A WARNING
Imprope rly tightened o r maintained wheel
bolts can becom e loose ca using loss of
c ont ro l, a co llision and serious persona l in­
Jury .
- Always keep the w heel bolts an d the
threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
w heel bolts can turn easily and be p rop­
er ly tigh tened .
- N ever grease or oil the wheel bo lt s an d
the threads in the w heel hubs. They can
become loose while d riving if greased or
oi led, even if tightened to the specified
torq ue.
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- N ever use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle.
- Alw ays maintain the co rrec t tighten ing
torq ue fo r th e wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor­
que of the wheel bo lts is too low, they
can loosen and come out w hen the veh i­
cle is moving. If the tighteni ng torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads can be damaged and the whee
l can be­
come loose.
@ Note
The specified torque for the whee l bolts is
90 ft lb (120 Nm) with a tolerance of± 7,4
ft lb(± 10 Nm) . Torque whee l bolts diago­
nally. After changing a whee l, the torque
must be checked as soon as possible with a
torque w rench -preferably by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
Low aspect ratio tires
Your A udi is facto ry-eq uipped w it h low aspect
ra tio tires. These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specific ally fo r your
model fo r their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling under a variety of d riving condi ­
t ions . Ask your author ized A udi dealer for
more details.
T he low aspect ratio of these tires is ind icated
by a numera l of
55 or less in the tire's s ize
designation. The n umera l represents the ratio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage. Conven­
t iona l tires have a he ight/w idth rat io of 60 or
more .
The performance of low-aspect -ratio tires is
particularly sens iti ve to imp roper inflation
pressure. It is therefore important that low
a spect ratio tires are inflated to the specified
pre ssure and that the inflation pressure i s
regularly ch ecked and maintain ed. Tire pre s·
sure s should be checked at lea st once a
month and always before a long trip
r=> page 241, Checking tire pressure .
What you can do to avoid tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ra tio tires can be d amage d more
easily by impact w it h potholes, curbs, g ull ies
or ridges on t he road, particularly if the tire is
u nd eri nflated.

254 Tires and wheels
When the malfunction indicator is illuminat­
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signal low tire pressure as intended . TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea­
sons, including the installation of replace­ ment or alternate tires or wheels on the vehi ­
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct ioning
properly . Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re­
placement or alternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire p ressure mo nitoring syste m
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
Fig. 183 Display : underinflatio n warning
Fig. 184 Display : Syste m mal functio n
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni­
toring system compares the tire tread circum­
ference and vibration characteristics of the in­
d ividual tires. If the pressure decreases in one
or more tires, th is is indicated in the instru­
ment cluster with a warning symbol
'9] and a
message
<=>fig . 183.
The tire pressure monitoring system must be
reset via MMI each time the pressures are ad- justed
(e.g. when switching between partial
and full load pressure) or after changing or re­
placing a tire on your vehicle <=>
page 255. You
can find the recommended tire pressures for
your vehicle on the label on driver' s side B-pil­
lar
<=> page 239 .
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac­
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the tire pressure was changed, wheels rotat -
ed or replaced but the TPMS was not reset
<=> page 255.
Warning symbols
'9] Loss of pressu re in at least one t ire r=> & .
Check the tire or tires and replace or repa ir if
necessary. The indicator light
'9] in the instru­
ment cluster also illuminates
<=>page 12 .
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires
and reset TPMS via MMI.
••MIS, ( Ti re Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure! System malfunction .
If IIMIS, appears after switching the ignition
on or while driving
r::!> fig. 184 and the indica­
tor light
'9] in the instrument cluster blinks
f or approximately one minute and then stays
on, there is a system malfunction . See your
authorized Audi dealer as soon as possible .
A WARNING
--If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or more of your tires is significant ly under­
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or braking
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possible and
check the tires and their pressures. In­
flate the tire pressure to the proper pres­
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire
pressure label
<=>page 239. Driving on a
significantly under- inflated tire causes
the tire to overheat and can lead to tire
failure. Under-inflation also is likely to

256 What do I do now?
What do I do now?
Trunk escape handle
In case of an emergency, the rear lid can be
opened from the inside using the trunk es­
cape handle.
Fig. 185 Trunk escape handle: View from inside the
close d trunk
To open rear lid
.. Pull the hand le down towards the bumper
r=;,fig. 185.
The trunk escape handle inside the rear lid is
made of fluorescent material to glow in the
dark.
A WARNING
The trunk escape handle is to be used only
in an emergency .
@ Tips
The emergency re lease lever shou ld never
be used as a handle for closing the rear lid.
Emergency warning
triangle
Applies to veh icles: w it h emergency wa rning tria ng le
The warning triangle is located on the inside
of the trunk lid.
Fig. 186 Trunk lid: Warn ing t riangle
.. To remove the warning triangle, press the
retainer in the direction of the arrow and
fold the holder down .
The rear lid is only designed to hold the warn­
ing triang le offered by the original accessories
program. If you wou ld like to retrofit your ve­
hicle with a warning triangle, please contact
your autho rized Audi dea ler.

Vehicle tool kit
Vehicle tool kit and jack
The vehicle tool kit is located in the luggage
compartment under the cargo floor cover .
Fig. 187 Luggage co mpa rtmen t: ca rgo f loo r cover
fol ded upwar d/spare t ire
Fig . 188 Trunk lid : Vehicle too l ki t
.. Lift the cargo floo r by the plastic handle
c:> fig . 187.
.. Hook the handle in to the luggage compar t­
ment weather strip .
.. Turn the handwheel counter-clockwise
c:> fig . 187 and remove the spare tire to
reach the vehicle too l kit.
.,. Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
The onboard tool kit includes:
- Hooks to remove the wheel covers*
- Plastic hook to remove wheel bolt covers*
- Wh eel bolt wrench
- Alignment pin for changing wheels
- Screwdriver w ith reversible blade
- T owing loop
- Jack
Before stor ing the jack, m ake sure it is wound
back down as far as it will go.
What do I d o now ? 257
A WARNING
Im proper use of the vehicle jack can cause
serious personal injur ies.
- Never use the screw driver hex head to
tighten wheel bolts, since the bolts can­
not attain the necessary tighten ing tor­
que if you use the hex head, potentially
causing an accident .
- The factory-supplied jack is intended on­
ly for yo ur vehicle model. Under no c ir­
cumstances should it be used to lift heavy veh icles or other loads; you risk in­
ju ring yo urself.
- Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised, wh ich could cause an acc ident.
- Support the vehicle securely with appro­
priate stands if work is to be performed
underneath the vehicle; otherwise, there
is a potentia l risk for injury.
- Never use the jack supplied wit h your Au­
di on another vehicle, particularly on a
heavier one. The jack is only s uitable for
use on the vehicle it came with.
(D Tips
- Some of the onboard items listed above
are provided on certain models only or
are optional ext ras .
- Before yo u can raise your vehicle using
the jack, you must activate the jacking
mode
c:!) page 261.
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire )
The spare tire/wheel is located in the luggage
compartmen t under the cargo floor cover . It
is intended for short-term use only.
T a king out th e spare tir e
.. Lift t he cargo floor by the p lastic handle
<=) page 257, fig . 187 .
.. Hook the handle into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip.
.. Turn the large screw ¢
page 257, fig. 187
counter-clockwise .
.,. Take out the spare tire .

258 What do I do no w?
• Unhook the ca rgo floor before closing the
rear lid.
Securing the replaced tire
• The fault whee l will not fit inside the spare
wheel wel l. Sto re it in the luggage compart­
ment and sec ure it so that it does not slide
¢ page 59.
• Unhook the cargo floor before closing the
rear lid.
U sing the spar e tire (compact spare tir e)
The compact spare tire is on ly intended for
emergencies until you can reach a repair shop.
Replace it as quickly as possible with a stand­
ard wheel and tire.
There are some restrictions on the use of the
compact spare tire. The compact spare tire
has been designed specifically for your type of
vehicle. It must not be swapped with a com­ pact spare t ire from another type of veh icle.
Snow chain s
For technical reasons, the use of snow chains
on the compact spare tire is not permitt ed .
I f you do have to dr ive w ith snow cha ins and a
front tire fails, mo unt the spare wheel w ith
tire instead of a rear t ire. Install the snow
cha ins on the rear tire and use it to rep lace
the defective front tire .
A WARNING
-Never use the spare tire if it is damaged
or if it is worn down to the tread wear in ­
dicators.
- If the spare tire is more than 6 years o ld,
use it only in an emergency and w ith ex­
treme caution and careful driving.
- The spare tire is intended only for tem­
porary and short-term use. It should be
replaced as soon as possible w ith the
normal wheel and t ire.
- After mounting the compact spare tire,
the tire pressure must be checked as
soon as poss ible. The tire pressure of the
compact spare tire must be 4.2 bar; oth­
erwise, you risk hav ing an accident. -
Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/
h). Yo u risk having an accident.
- Avoid full-thrott le acceleration, heavy
braking, and fast cornering. You risk hav­
ing an accident.
- Never drive using more than one spare
wheel and tire. You r isk having an acci­
dent.
- Normal summer or winter tires must not
be mounted on the compact spare wheel
rim.
- For technical reasons, the use of tire
chains on the spare tire is not permitted.
If it is necessary to drive with tire chains,
the spare wheel must be mounted on the
front ax le in the event of a flat in a rear
tire. The new ly available front wheel
m ust then be instal led in place of the
rear whee l w ith the flat tire. Installing
the tire chain be fore mounting the whee l
and tire is recommended.
- Loose items in the passenger compart­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard brak ing or in an accident.
- Never store the inflatable spare t ire or
jack and too ls in the passenger com­
partment.
- Always store all jacking equipment,
tools, and the inflatable spare t ire in
the luggage compartment.
- Tighten the knurled retai ning screw for
the inflatable spare tire securely .
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel .
• After you experience a t ire failure, pu ll the
car we ll away from moving traffic and try to
reach level ground before you stop
¢ ,& .
• All passengers should lea ve the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardrail)¢ ,&.
• Engage the parking brake to prevent your
veh icle from rolling unintentionally¢,& . ..,

• Move select or lever to p osition P q ,& .
• If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trail­
er from your veh icle.
• Take the
jack and the spare t ir e out of the
luggage compartment
q page 257,
q page 257.
A WARNING
You or your passengers cou ld be injured
while changing a whee l if you do not fol­
low these safety precautions:
- If you have a f lat t ire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the eng ine,
turn the emergency f lashers on and use
other warning devices to alert o ther mo­
torists.
- Make su re that passengers wait in a safe
pla ce away from the ve hicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- T o help preven t the veh icle from mov ing
sudden ly and possibly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the whee l diagonally opposite
the wheel being changed . When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­
ing the Automat ic Transm iss ion in "P"
(Park) will
not prevent the vehicle from
moving.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the ground is level and fi rm. If necessa ry,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
- After installing the spa re wheel, make
sure that you replace the flat tire/whee l
in its sto rage area properly and tighten
the kn u rled re taining screw securely.
Changing a wheel
When you change a wheel, follow the se­
quence described below step-by-step and in
exa ctly that order .
-
1. Remove the decorati ve wheel cov er* . For
mo re deta ils see also
Q page 260, Deco­
rative wheel covers
o r q page 260,
Wheels with wheel bolt caps.
2 . Loosen the wheel b olts q page 260.
What do I do now? 259
3. Locate the proper mounting point for the
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9 .
jack and align the jack below that point
q page 261.
Raise the car with the jack q page 261.
Remove the wheel with the flat tire and
then insta ll
th e spare c> page 262.
Tighte n all wheel bolts lightly.
Lower the vehicle wi th the jack.
U se the wheel bolt w rench and
firmly
t ighten a ll wheel bolts q page 260 .
Replace the decora tive wheel co ver*.
A WARNING
A lways read and fo llow all WARNINGS and
informat ion¢
& in Raising the vehicle on
page 261
and r::> page 263.
After changing a wheel
A wheel change is not complete without the
doing the following .
• Replace the too ls and the jac k in their prop­
er locat ion .
• The fault whee l wi ll not fit inside the spare
wheel well. Store it in the luggage compart­
ment and secure it so that it does not slide
r::>page 59.
• Check the tire pressure on the spare wheel
immed iate ly after mounting it.
• As soon as possib le, have the
tightening
torqu es
on all wheel bolts c hec ked with a
t o rque wrenc h. The co rrec t tighte ning tor­
que is
90 ft lb (120 Nm).
• Have the flat tire
replaced as soon as possi ­
b le.
(D Tips
- I f you not ice that the wheel bo lts a re
corroded and difficult to turn while
changing a tire, they should be rep laced
before you check the tightening torque.
- Drive at reduced speed until you have the
tightening torques checked. ..,_
•
•

260 What do I do now?
-After changing a wheel, the tire pressure
i n a ll four ti res must be checked/cor rect­
ed and t he tire pressure mo nitor ing indi ­
cator m ust b e stored in the MMI
Q page255 .
Decorative wheel covers
Applies to vehicl es: with decorative wheel covers
The decorative wheel covers must be removed
first to access the wheel bolts .
Fig. 189 Chan ging a w hee l: R em ovin g the whee l cove r
Removing
.. Inse rt the
hook (provided with the ve hicle
tool kit) in the hol e in the wheel hub cove r .
.. Pull off the
decorative wheel cover
c> fig. 189.
Wheels with wheel bolt caps
Applies to vehicles: with wheel bolts with caps
The caps must b e removed first from the
wheel bol ts before the bol ts can be u n­
s cre wed.
Fig . 19 0 Chang ing a w hee l: remov ing t he w heel bo lt
caps
Removing
" Push the
plastic clip (provide d w ith the ve­
hicle too l ki t) over the w heel bo lt ca p un til the inner
reta iners on the clip a lign with t he
edge of the cover .
.. Remove the cap with the
plastic clip (veh i­
cle tool kit)
c> fig. 190.
Refitting
.. Pla ce t he caps over t he whee l bolts and
push them back o n.
T he cap s are to pro te ct and kee p the w heel
b olts clean .
Loosening and tightening the wheel
bolts
T he wheel bol ts mu st be loosened befo re rais ­
ing the vehicle .
Fig. 191 Cha ng ing a w heel: loosenin g th e w hee l bol ts
Loosening
.. Slide the
wheel wrench ont o the wheel bo lt
as far as it w ill go.
.. Take tight hold of the
end of the wrench
ha ndle a nd turn th e wheel bo lts
counter­
clockwise
about on e single tu rn in the dire c­
tion of ar row
c> fig. 191.
Tightening
.. Slide the wheel wrenc h onto the wheel bolt
as far as it w ill go .
" Take tig ht hold of the
end of the wr ench
ha ndle a nd turn each wh eel bo lt
clockwise
until it is seate d .
.8_ WARNING
- Do n ot u se forc e or hurry whe n ch ang ing
a w heel -yo u can ca us e the vehicle to sli p
off the jack and ca use ser io us pe rso nal
i njur ies.

-Do not loosen the wheel bolts more than
one turn
before you raise the veh icle with
the jack. -You risk an injury.
@ Tips
- Never use the hexagonal socket in the
handle of the screwdriver to loosen or
tighten the wheel bolts.
- If a whee l bolt is very tight, you may find
it easier to loosen by carefully push ing
down on the end of the wheel bolt
wrench with
one foot only. As you do so,
hold on to the car to keep your ba lance
and take care not to slip.
Raising the vehicle
The vehicle must be lifted with the jock first
before the wheel con be removed .
Fig. 1 92 Changing a w hee l: mou nting po ints fo r the
jack
F ig . 19 3 Close -up: proper positioning of jack
.. Engage the parking bra ke to prevent your
vehicle from rolling un intentionally.
.. Move the
selector le ver to position P .
.. Position the jack below the door sill under
the
mounting point that is closest to the
wheel to be changed¢
fig. 192.
What do I d o now ? 261
.. Extend the jack under the lifting point on
the door sill until its arm is positio ned di­
rectly under the lifting point ¢,&. .
.. Align the jack so that its arm@¢
fig. 193
engages in the designated lifting point in
the doo r si ll and the movable base @ lies
flat o n the ground. The base @ must be
ver­
tical
under th e lifting point @.
.,. Wind the jack up fu rther until the f lat t ire
comes off the gro und ¢ ,&. .
The jack mus t be installed
only at the places
i ndicated ¢
fig. 192. The re is exactly one loca­
tion for each wheel. The j ack mus t not be
pos it ioned at any other location ¢
&.
An unstable surfac e under the jack ca n cause
the ve hicl e to slip off the jack. Always provide
a firm base for the ja ck on the g ro und . If nec­
essary p lace a sturdy board or sim ilar support
u nder the jack . On
hard, slippery surface s
(such as tiles) use a rubbe r mat or similar to
prevent the jack from slipping
¢ & .
A WARNING
- You or your passengers co uld be in jured
while c hanging a wheel if you do not fo l­
low these safety precautions:
- Positioning the j ack under the vehicle
at any o ther place than those indicate d
above may damage the vehicle or may result in persona l injuries .
- A soft o r uns table surf ace unde r the
j ac k may cause the veh icle to slip off
the jack. Always provide a f irm base for
the jack on the ground. If necessary, u se a st urdy board under the jack.
- On hard, slippery surface (such as ti les)
use a rubber mat or similar t o prevent
the jack fr om slipping .
- To help prevent injury to yo urself and
your passengers:
- Do not ra ise the veh icle until you are
s ur e the jack is securely engaged .
- Passe ngers must not remain in the ve­
h icle when i t is ja cke d up.

Tires with unidirectional tread design
Tires with unidirectional tread design must be
mounted with their tread pattern pointed in the right direction .
Using a sp are t ire w ith a tread p attern
int ended fo r use in a specific dir ection
When us ing a spare tire w ith a tread pattern
in tended for use in a specific direction, please
note the following:
- The direction of rotation is marked by an ar­
row on the side of the tire .
- If the spare t ire has to be installed in the in­
correct direction, use the spare tire only
temporarily since the ti re will not be able to
achieve its optimum performance character­
i st ics with rega rd to aquaplaning, noise and
wear.
- We recommend that you pay particular at­
tent ion to this fact du ring wet weathe r and
that you adjust your speed to match road conditions.
- Replace the flat tire w ith a new one and
have it installed on your veh icle as soon as
possib le to restore the handling advantages
of a unid irectiona l tire .
Notes on wheel changing
Please read the info rmation c:> page 246 , New
t ires and replacing tires and wheels
if you are
going to use a spare t ire which is different
from the tires on your veh icle.
After you change a tire :
-Check the tir e p re ss ure on th e spare imme­
di ately after in st a ll at ion.
- Have th e wheel bol t ti ghtenin g torqu e
ch ecked with a torque wrench a s soon a s
possible b y your autho riz ed Audi dealer o r
a qu alified ser vic e statio n.
- With ste el a nd alloy wheel rims , the wheel
bolts a re correctl y tightened at a torque of
90 ft lb (1 20 Nm ).
- If yo u n otice that the wheel bolt s are cor­
r oded a nd d ifficult to tu rn whil e changi ng
a t ire, the y should be replaced before you
chec k the t igh tening to rque. What do I do now? 263
- Repla ce the flat ti re w ith a new one and
h av e it i nsta lled on you r veh icle as s oon as
po ssible. Remount the whe el cov er.
Un til th en, d riv e with extr a care and at re­
duc ed sp eeds.
A WARNING
-
- If you are going to equ ip your vehicle
with tires or rims which differ from those
which were factory installed, then be sure to read the information¢
page 246,
New tires and replacing tires and
wheels.
- Always make sure the damaged wheel or
even a flat tire and the jack and tool kit
are properly secured in the luggage com­
pa rtment and are not loose in the pas­
senger compartment .
- In an accident or sudden maneuver they
could fly forward , injuring anyone in the
veh icle.
- Always sto re damaged wheel, jack and
too ls se curely in the luggage compa rt­
ment. Otherwise , in an accident or su d­
den maneuver they could f ly forward,
causing injury to passengers in the vehi­
cle.
•
•

264 Fuses and bulbs
Fuses and bulbs
Fuses
Replacing fuses
Fuses that have blown will have metal strips
that have burned through.
Fig. 196 Driver side of the cockpit: fuse panel cover
The fuses are located at the front left and
right of the cockpit and behind the trim on
the right side of the luggage compartment.
• Switch the ignition and the affected electri­
cal equ ipment off.
• Check the following table to see which fuse
belongs to the consumer.
• Remove the cover ¢
fig. 196 or¢ page 218,
Opening the side trim.
• To remove the purple plastic cl ip if necessa­
ry
ll, hold onto it at the small side and pull
it out of the fuse panel
c:> page 264,
fig. 197 .
• Remove the clamp from the rear side of the
fuse cover <>
fig. 196 .
• Remove the fuse using the clamp and re­
place the blown fuse w ith an ident ical new
one.
A WARNING
Do not repair fuses and never replace a
blown fuse with one that has a higher amp
rating. This can cause damage to the elec­
trical system and a fire.
ll You can dis pose of the plastic clip after re moving it.
(D Note
If a new fuse burns out again after shortly
have you have installed it, have the electri­
cal system checked by your authorized Au­
di dealer .
(D Tips
-The following table does not list fuse lo­
cations that are not used.
- Some of the equipment items listed are
optional or only available on certain
model configurations.
Driver side cockpit fuse assignment
Fig. 197 Drive r side cockpit: fuse panel with plastic
bracket
Fuse panel @ (black)
No. Equipment Amps
1
Switch panel, seat heating,
5 starting assist, control module
2
Automatic dimming interior
s rearview mirror
4
Suspension control system sen-
5 sor
ESP control module
5